The Amazon Kindle DX is the follow-up to the successful Kindle Wireless, with a much larger screen.

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This review was published on May 13, 2011. Since then, this product may have been discontinued or replaced. Pricing and availability may differ from what is stated in the review.

Controls

Most tablet readers elect to use virtual keyboards instead of manual controls, but like its predecessor the Kindle WiFi, the Kindle DX takes the opposite approach. In addition to the normal controls on the sides of the Kindle DX (power, volume, navigation) there is a full qwerty keyboard at the bottom of the front face of the unit. Unfortunately for Kindle buyers, the keyboard buttons have poor tactile feedback and size, so you can't expect to keep up the typing speed that you might have on your computer. After all, this was mainly designed for book title searches in a library or shop.

The buttons on the right side of the unit include two page turn buttons, a menu button, and a control stick that helps navigate the menus and rudimentary web browser offered by the kindle. On the top of the unit is a small slider which turns the DX on and off.

Connectivity

Due to the somewhat limited playback options of the Kindle DX, it's not surprising that the connectivity of the device is somewhat limited as well, which isn't a bad thing. For most of what you'll use it for, a simple USB cable is sufficient to transfer files from your computer, and the permanently-connected 3G of the Kindle DX will give you the capability of grabbing books wherever you find yourself, so long as there is sufficient signal, regardless of whether or not you're in the US or abroad.

Battery Life

It's hard to do better with battery life among eReaders than a Kindle. Due to their low power draw with their eInk screen, they can last for days on end on constant eBook reading. Using our disembodied finger apparatus in our labs, we set the Kindle DX up to read War and Peace, and 24 hours later, the battery was still going strong at about 40% of its full charge. You shouldn't run into troubles here, but if you do, you can always charge the DX from your computer via the included USB cable, or the wall charger.

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The Kindle DX is not as good as its smaller sibling the Kindle Wireless in terms of battery life, but that's not to say it did a bad job; in fact it played audio for more than the 24-hour testing span, and left about 70% of the battery charge after that test was through. Because of this test score, we estimate that if asked to do it, the DX could play audio continuously for about 3.5 days, give or take.

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Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our picks and opinions are independent from any business incentives.

Where To Buy

Amazon Kindle DX

Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our picks and opinions are independent from any business incentives.

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Where To Buy

Amazon Kindle DX

Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our picks and opinions are independent from any business incentives.

Our editors review and recommend products to help you buy the stuff you need. If you make a purchase by clicking one of our links, we may earn a small share of the revenue. Our picks and opinions are independent from any business incentives.